Royal Challengers Bangalore is one franchise everyone is looking forward to lifting the title. Despite the RCB XI being strong in most seasons, the franchise has not done justice to it. Moreover, on three occasions, they reached the finals, and yet, the trophy has not come their way.
After a disappointing first edition where they finished seventh, many did not consider RCB a favourite for the 2009 campaign. They did not start well, but after Anil Kumble took over the captaincy, there was no stopping the RCB XI. However, they lost in the finals to Deccan Chargers. Here is a look at what the eleven players who wore the RCB jersey that day are up to, at the moment.
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis played for KKR after RCB and then became the coach of the Kolkata-based franchise as well. He then became the batting consultant for the South African team, which was going through a transition. At the moment, he is often seen doing commentatory or giving his expert opinions on news portals.
Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey is currently in the scheme of things concerning the Indian Cricket Team. Although it might be hard to make a comeback now, a few good domestic events and the Karnataka lad will surely be back in the reckoning. Pandey was recently released by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2023.
Roelof van der Merwe
Roelof van der Merwe was one of the impressive performers in the RCB XI in that game and got to play a few games for South Africa. He played in IPL as well. However, in a major decision, he made a switch to the Netherlands and started playing cricket there. He has had a good time in the orange jersey since then.
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid spent a few more days with the Indian Team after that final before hanging up his boots. The ‘Wall’ also played for Rajasthan Royals, before joining the backroom staff of RR and later for Delhi. He currently heads the NCA in Bengaluru.
Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor is still contributing to the New Zealand cricket team. However, in IPL, the Kiwi did not manage a fruitful spell as he had in RCB. Nevertheless, he will go down as one of the batsmen to have played for the Black Caps. The Kiwi retired a few months ago and also had a book released recently.
Virat Kohli
We all know where Virat Kohli is at the moment, right? The man has seen only highs since then and has become a legend now. He holds multiple batting records and is the former captain of the Indian Team.
Mark Boucher
An unfortunate injury forced Mark Boucher to retire from the game in 2012. He was appointed as the coach of the South African cricket team in 2019. He now has the challenging task of bringing his country back to the pinnacle of the game. Boucher is now the Head Coach of Mumbai Indians, after exiting from the role with South Africa.
Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa won a few IPL trophies after that game. Although his time in the Indian Team did not last long, Robin has actually been relevant in IPL and domestic cricket. In IPL 2021, the experienced man will be representing the Chennai Super Kings. A few months ago, Robin retired from all forms of the game and has been frequenting as a commentator.
Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar enjoyed being the leader of the Indian pace attack for a while. However, owing to injuries and various controversies, Praveen lost his place in the Indian Team. A couple of years ago, the swing bowler from Uttar Pradesh announced his retirement from all forms of the game. He is associated with a couple of news portals for his expert opinion.
Vinay Kumar
Vinay Kumar recently announced his retirement from the game and was part of the Road Safety Series. He won many competitions with Karnataka in the domestic circuit and at the end of his career, he even made the switch to Pondicherry for a season. After retiring, Vinay Kumar got a role in the scouting division of Mumbai Indians.
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble was part of RCB for one more season, and after that, he held roles with the Mumbai Indians and the Indian Team in the backroom staff. At the moment, the legendary leg-spinner is the coach of Punjab Kings in IPL. He was recently released as the Head Coach of Punjab Kings. It needs to be seen what role he would take up next.
